Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A flag-raising ceremony for the Central Asian Youth Ecological Camp was held at the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage.

The opening was attended by the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov, Deputy Minister of Preschool and School Education Usman Sharifkhodzhaev, Deputy Director of the Agency for Youth Affairs Dilnozakhon Kattakhanova, Head of the UNICEF Representative Office in Uzbekistan Munir Mamedzade, First Deputy Executive Body of the International Public Fund Zamin Abdukakhhor Abduganiev.

From 1 to 5 October 2023, the Central Asian Youth Environmental Camp and the international dialogue “Strategy for Environmental Education for the Youth of Central Asia” will be held in Samarkand. The event was organized with the support of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, the Ministry of Preschool and School Education, the Ministry of Youth Policy and Sports, the Zamin International Public Foundation, international organizations and non-governmental institutions.

Seminars, meetings and discussions of the Central Asia strategy and road map with international experts were organized for more than 60 leaders of eco-activists from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The Green Education Partnership (GEP) is a UNESCO initiative launched following the 27th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh (COP27), aimed at providing quality environmental education in a coordinated and effective manner. More than 800 organizations have already joined this initiative. Currently, the number of participating countries is more than 70.

GEP focuses on the following four key areas:

– Green schools. The introduction of the green school concept or green accreditation for educational institutions will include training and retraining of teachers

– Green programs in education. This implies an increase in educational institutions implementing environmental education programs at least twice as much as the current level of 45%.

– Greening teacher training and the capabilities of the education system as a whole. Improving the competence of school leaders and key participants in the education sector.

– Greening of society. Involving all sectors of society in the climate agenda by integrating environmental education into lifelong learning.

It is worth noting that Uzbekistan’s participation in the GEP contributes to the development of eco-schools, educational programs and teacher training, improving education for sustainable development and preparing students to solve climate problems.